Senior Accountant

Senior Accountant

The Senior Accountant is responsible for supporting the daily management of Second Harvest Heartland's fiscal functions in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and with financial management practices appropriate for non-profit organizations. This role ensures the integrity of financial data by accurately recording monthly transactions, performing balance sheet reconciliations, and assisting with the preparation of interim financial reports. A significant portion of the position involves overseeing grant compliance, which includes generating regulatory reports and preparing formal reimbursement requests for various government and partner agencies. Additionally, the Senior Accountant strengthens organizational processes by evaluating internal controls, documenting standard operating procedures, and providing versatile operational support to the wider accounting team.

Duties And Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & General Ledger Management

• Record monthly accounting transactions to ensure accurate financial data.
• Perform and review assigned balance sheet reconciliations on a monthly basis.
• Assist the Controller in the preparation of monthly interim financial reports.
• Ensure financial reports are completed within ten business days of month-end close or within the timeframe directed by the Controller.
• Provide essential support to the Controller during yearly financial and benefit audit activities.

Grant Management & Compliance

• Oversee comprehensive grant management activities.
• Generate monthly, quarterly, and annual reports for government agencies and contractual partners, such as Feeding America, to maintain regulatory compliance.
• Prepare formal reimbursement requests for various federal, state, and county grants.
• Support the Controller with data and documentation for grant proposals and specific reporting requests.

Development & Fundraising Accounting

• Manage and record specific accounting entries related to the Development department.
• Reconcile cash transactions against development reporting to ensure departmental alignment and accuracy.

Internal Controls & Process Improvement

• Collaborate with the Controller to assess existing internal controls for possible improvements and risk mitigation.
• Document Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for various accounting functions to ensure consistency and serve as a knowledge base.

Operational Support & Team Collaboration

• Provide backup support for Accounts Payable (AP) transactions and processing, as necessary.
• Provide backup support for payroll processing, as necessary.
• Offer coverage and assistance to the wider accounting staff during periods of absence or heavy workload.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the evolving needs of the finance department.

Behavioral Expectations

• Demonstrate behavior consistent with SHH's mission, vision, and values daily.
• Understand safety policies and actively promote safe practices in the workplace.
• Ability to build strong, constructive relationships with a diverse range of individual and organizational partners, where common goals can be discovered, jointly shared and owned for maximum impact.
• Demonstrate the ability to support the work of others. A high level of understanding and respect for the urgency and needs of others. Ability to see how actions impact others. Willingness to put the needs of internal and external customers first.
• Support innovation with an openness to new ideas, learning from others and flexibility to support change as needed.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify issues or areas of improvement and the willingness to address them.
• Maintain confidentiality of personal information of employees, clients, donors, and others.
• Demonstrated enthusiasm and positive attitude.

Qualifications

• A combination of education and experience generally attained through a bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, or equivalent (CPA is desired) and a minimum of 3-5 years of experience in a general accounting role, supervisory experience is a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate financial data to internal and external stakeholders, to both financial and non-financial leaders.
• Demonstrated exceptional customer service skills to create a welcoming and inclusive environment where everyone is welcomed and valued.
• Capability with NetSuite is highly desirable.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency and enthusiasm, both individually and as part of a team in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, manage, and follow through on multiple daily tasks and projects.
• Demonstrated familiarity with Microsoft Office, Office 365, and the ability to learn other computer software programs.